Spar and boom turning machine



' A. ROBBINS. SPAR AND BOOM TURNING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC-14, 1918.

1 350 40 Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR I. ROBBINS, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPAR AND BOOM TURNING MACHINE.

Application filed December 14, 1918.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR I. ROBBINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Quincy, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spar and Boom Turning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for turning spars and booms. lVhile the device is particularly adapted for turning spars and booms, it may, of course, be used for turning other wooden articles.

The novelty of the invention resides particularly in providing means whereby a log of wood may be held in a vertical position while the turning operation takes place. The advantage of such a construction is that where the log of wood (in some cases fifty to sixty feet long) is held in a vertical position, it is much easier to rotate the same during the turning operation than where it is placed in a horizontal position on account of the irregularities and unevenness of the log which causes it to be heavier on one side than the other, and when in a horizontal position this unevenness of balance makes it very diflicult to rotate the log during the turning operation, whereas when placed in a vertical position this unevenness does not cause any difiiculty in rotating the log during the turning operation.

The invention consists in means for holding a log in an upright position in combination with a cutter and means for moving said cutter longitudinally of said leg, and in means for moving the log relatively to the cutter or vice versa to cut a chip circumferentially of the log as well as longitudinally thereof, whereby the log may be turned into cylindrical or conical form.

The invention further consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims thereof.

Referring to the drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine for turning booms and spars. v

Fig. 2 is -a sectional elevation taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail front 'elevationof the means whereby the cutter is moved toward or away from the log.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

Serial No. 266,681.

In the drawings, 5 is the frame of the machine consisting of a base (3, a top frame '7 and side frames 8 and 9. A log 10 is held in an upright position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, between a lower holder 11, upon which it rests, and an upper holder 12. The lower holder is rotatably mounted upon the base 6 and is provided with screws 13 which project into the lower end of the log ll) and force the log against the upper holder 12.

Said upper holder is provided with a shank 14, which projects upwardly through a frame 15 and is rectangular in cross section where it projects through a bevel gear 16. The bevel gear 16 is rotatably mounted upon the frame 15 and is rotated by means of a bevel gear 17 which is driven by a motor 18, the shaft'19 of which has a worm 20 thereon which drives a worm gear 21 fast to a shaft 22 and the gear 17 is fast to said shaft 22.

The frame 15 is raised and lowered by means of another motor 23, the shaft 24 of which has a worm 25 thereon which meshes into a worm gear 26 fast to a shaft 27, and to the opposite ends of the shaft 27 are fastened two gears 28 which mesh into a pair of vertical racks 29. Said racks are fastened at their lower ends to the base 6 and at their upper ends to the frame 7.

A rotary cutter 30 is rotatably mounted upon a cutter frame 31 which, in turn, is

'slidably mounted on a carrier frame 32.

The cutter frame is moved toward and away from the log 10 by means of a screw 83 hav ing screw-threaded engagement with the carrier frame 32 and being provided with a hand wheel 84 by means of which it may be rotated. The cutter 30 is rotated by means of a motor 35 mounted on the cutter frame 31 and driving, by means of a pulley 36 fast to the motor shaft 37, a belt 38 which, in turn, rotates a pulley 39 fast to the cutter shaft 40.

The carrier frame 32 is slidably mounted upon a pair of rack rods 41. The upper ends of the rack rods 41 are pivotally con nected to a truck 42 which is provided with wheels 43 positioned to roll upon flanges 44 of the I-beams 45 forming a part of the frame 7. The truck 42 is moved toward and away from the log 10 so as to move the rods 41 laterally thereof by a worm 46 which meshes into a rack 47 fast to the truck 42,

said worm being fastened to a shaft 48 ro tatably mounted in a bracket 49 fast to the frame 7 and provided with a hand wheel 50 by means of which it may be rotated. The lower ends of the rack rods 41 are likewise pivoted to a truck 51 which is provided with wheels 52 arranged to roll on tracks 53 on the base 6.

The truck 51 is moved toward the bottom holder 11 and toward the log 10 by a worm 55% which meshes into a rack fast to the truck 51. The worm 5-1 is fastened to a shaft 56 which is rotatably mounted in a bracket 57 fast to the base 6 and is rotated by means of a hand wheel 58 fast to the shaft 56.

The log 10 1S holsted lnto a vertlcal positionprepa-ratory to placing it between the upper and lower holders by a suitable hoist 59 which is mounted upon a traveling frame 60 provided with wheels 61 which are positioned to travel upon the beams The hoist is provided with the usual pulley block 62 and hook 63 which is connected by a chain in the usual manner to the log 10. The log 10 being hoisted to a vertical position is pushed in between the holders 11 and 12, with its lower end resting upon the screws 13. The holder 12 is then brought down to motor 64: mounted on the carrier frame and having a worm 65 fast to the motor shaft 66, said worm meshing into a worm gear 67 fast to a shaft 68 having gears 69 at is opposite'ends. The gears 69 mesh into the rack rods 41-1.

The operation of the device 'hereinbefore specifically described is as follows: Assuming that it is desired to turn a spar, the carrier frame 32 1s lowered'to'the lower end of the rack rods 41 by means of the motor '64:, worm 65, worm gear 67 and gears 69 which mesh into the rack rods 41. The cutter'30 is then advanced towardthe bottom end ofthe log 10 by means of the wheel 34 and screw 33 until it engages the periphery of said log. taken for-the entire length of the-log 10 by feeding the carrier frame 82 upwardly by means of the motor 64:, as hereinb'efore described, and at the same time rotating the cutter by means of the motor 35through the pulleys 36, belt 38 and pulley 39.

After the periphery of thelog has been thus smoothed it is tapered from the bottom to the top by setting the upper ends of the rack rods 41'over toward the log to give said rack rods a slightly inclined position. and this inclined position is obtained by means of the truck 42 whichis moved to- A roughing out chip is then- Ward the log by the worm 41:6, rack d? and hand wheel 50, according to the taper of the spar. Adjustment of the, rack rods a1 at their upper ends, hereinbefore described, will be repeated to give more or less taper to said spar. After the spar has been turned to the desired taper, the chain is again attached to the spar and to the hook "623 of the hoist, the frame 15 is raised to release the upper end of the log from the upper holder 12 and the spar is then raised, swung to one side and lowered by n eans of the hoist 59. 1 1 r lVhen a boom is being turned the log is first roughed out, as hereinbefore described. The carrier 32 is then moved to the proper position to bring the cutter 30 to midway of the ends of the log. The rack rods 1 :1 are then inclined at their upper ends toward the log in the manner hereinbefore described and after the taper required has been obtained by several cuts of the cutter 3i) in the manner hereinbefore described, the lower half of the boom is tapered by moving the lower ends of the rack rods 11 in 'ardly toward the boom by meansof the truck 5L upon which said lower ends of the rack rods are pivotally supported and lay-means of the rack 55, worm 54: and hand wheel 58, the carrier 32 being fed downwardly on the rack rods 41 from midway the two ends of the boom to the lower end thereof; Thus the boom can be tapered from its central portion'toward its opposite-ends as may be required.

The carrier frame 32 :is provided with a counterbalance 70 which is connected to 7 said carrier frame by a cable 71 which extends over 'a pulley 7-2-rotatably mounted on a truck 12, said cable extending over another pulley 73 rotatably mounted on the frame 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for turning booms, spars and the like having, in combination, means for holding and rotating a log in a vertical position, aipair of guide rods extending longitudinally of said log,-a carrier frame slidably mounted upon said-rods, a rotary cutter mounted upon said carrier frame'and adapted to engage-the periphery of said leg and means to move said guiderods laterally thereof.

2. A machine for turning booms, spars and the like having, in combination, means 'for holding and rotating a log in-a vertical 3. A machine for turning booms, spars and the like, having, in combination, means for holding and rotating a log in a vertical position, a pair of guide rods extending longitudinally 01" said log, a carrier frame mounted upon said rods, a frame located adjacent to the upper ends of said guide rods, truck mounted on said frame, the upper ends of said guide rods being pivotally connected to said truck, and means to move said truck in a direction laterally of said guide rods.

l. A machine for turning booms, spars and the like having, in combination, means for holding and rotating a log in a vertical position, a pair of guide rods extending longitudinally of said log, a base plate adjacent the lower ends of said rods, a truck movably mounted on said base plate, the lower ends of said rods being pivotally mounted upon said truck, and means to move said truck in a direction laterally of said guide rods, whereby said guide rods maybe moved toward and away from said log.

5. A machine for turning booms, spars and the like having, in combination, means for holding and rotating a log in a vertical position, a pair of vertical rack rods extending longitudinally of said log, a carrier frame mounted to slide upon said rack rods, a motor mounted upon said carrier frame, a

pair of gears rotatably mounted upon said carrier frame and engaging said rack rods, mechanism connecting said motor to said gears, whereby a rotary motion may be im parted to said gears and a cutter rotatably mounted upon said carrier frame and adapted to en age the periphery of said log.

6. A machine for turning booms, spars and the like having, in combination, means for holding and rotating a log in a vertical position, a pair of vertical rack rods extending longitudinally of said log, a carrier frame mounted to slide upon said rack rods, a motor mounted upon said carrier frame, a pair of gears rotatably mounted upon said carrier frame and en aging said rack rods, mechanism connecting said motor to said gears, whereby a rotary motion may be imparted to said gears, a cutter rotatably mounted upon said carrier frame and adapted to engage the periphery of said log, and means to move said cutter on said carrier frame toward and away from said log.

ARTHUR I. ROBBINS.

lVitnesses:

FRANKLIN E. Low, HERMAN R. HOFFMAN. 

